Classic Caesar Salad Dressing

When I was growing up just outside of NYC, my mom did almost all of our grocery shopping at a little market run by Italians who were very into the food of their homeland. Somehow, by the time I was in college, one of the great cheeses of the world, Parmigiano Reggiano had become a staple in our home— meaning that if we ran out, my mom or dad made it known that the household NEEDED it asap — much like one needed the staple of milk back in the days! (Maybe it was the caaeomorphhins?!)

I can’t help but equate the taste of this umami-rich food with comfort and home, and salads with Parmigianano Reggiano will always have a special place in my heart. If anchovies and garlic are also involved, the bowl of super tasty salad crunchiness sends me straight to heaven!

Parmigiano Reggiano is a raw milk cheese, usually pretty pricey but totally worth it to get the real thing. It’s nutty, sweet, and dense with flavor. It’s apparently extremely digestible, and indeed I have heard of raw food restaurants around the world that actually use Parmigiano Reggiano on their otherwise dairy-free vegan menus!

If you love Caesar dressing, this one is seriously T H E  B E S T, so bookmark it! It’s inspired by a recipe I found online from a farm to table restaurant in Sebastopol, CA that I have been to countless times, Peter Lowell's. They serve it there as a dressing for hearts of escarole, which might be one of my favorite salad bases ever. A head of escarole looks like a head of lettuce but is actually in the chicory family, and it’s denser and a lot more bitter. I think it goes perfectly with this rich dressing. You can certainly pair this with romaine, but it shines on a mix of any of the following: any chicories like escarole, radicchio, frisée, and endive, thinly sliced fennel or celery, radishes, etc. I also love adding in some nicely toasted walnuts or pine nuts sometimes. Y U M.

Classic Caesar Dressing

2 garlic cloves
3-5 anchovies
2 teaspoon good Dijon mustard
few dashes hot sauce
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons worcestershire (vegan version works well!)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey or powdered xylitol
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 teaspoon fine Himalayan salt
1 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 1/4 cup neutral-flavored oils, such as avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil. (I like using a mix of these plus a little Brain Octane)

Directions:
Put all ingredients except the oils into a food processor or blender, and blend well. Slowly add in the oils, and mix till emulsified and all combined. When dressing salad, don't use too much, as it's strong, but also taste and make sure you add enough to make the lettuce mixture delicious and so flavorful.

Keeps 4-6 days in a jar in the refrigerator.